Should I Get A Second Generator?

[Olympus]

Hey everyone, I’m kind of a “gadget/toy” person and generators are one of my favorite things. I just like the feeling of comfort knowing I have one, should I ever need. Right now, I have a large Generac 8000/10,000w portable that I keep on hand for powering my whole house should I ever need it. It’s nice to have, but loud and definitely not as portable as you’d think. It’s big and incredibly heavy. It’s pretty much just dedicated for the house.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about buying a small inverter generator. Something easier to transport, more quiet, something that I can store on a shelf out of the way. Something I could take with me camping or out to my hunting land if I needed power somewhere remotely. Or just something I could loan to a neighbor without sacrificing my own means of power.

I’ve been seeing these Sportsman brand inverters and they’re incredibly affordable. I live in the Midwest, so tornado/storm and ice are the only things that could affect my power, so generators are not a tool that gets much use. And like I said, I already have a large generator already.

So right now I’m looking at the Sportsman 1000w surge and 800w running for a crazy price of $157 and only weighs 21lbs. Or the slightly larger Sportman 2200w surge and 1800w which is also dual-fuel and can use propane for $300 and weighs 45lbs. The larger one is about double of everything that the smaller one is, including weight. I’m just trying to decide if the smaller one will fit my needs better or if I should sacrifice on weight and get the 2200w version.

For camping use, it would only be needed for heat and lights. Pop-up camper and I only go when it’s cool or cold. I wouldn’t need a unit to pull an air conditioner. But I would need a unit that could pull an electric heater. I know so could supplement with gas heat, if I needed to. I’m thinking the 1000w unit would be fine for my uses as a “second gen” and for a loaner. I’m thinking portability ranks pretty high for a benefit considering I already have a lunker of a gen in the shop. But I could be swayed toward the 2200w unit also.

 

[Industrial Toys]

STUPID question. YES, YES, YES. I have several, all commercial, all diesel. Plus a commercial 3000 watt inverter that runs off my JD Electric (48V) gator.

Not only do I also just like that sort of thing, but you can't rely on any given thing in an emergency. Good to hedge your bets.

 

[Olympus]

STUPID question. YES, YES, YES. I have several, all commercial, all diesel. Plus a commercial 3000 watt inverter that runs off my JD Electric (48V) gator.

Not only do I also just like that sort of thing, but you can't rely on any given thing in an emergency. Good to hedge your bets.

I like your style! I was just thinking depending on the size of the 1000w version, I could store it in the toolbox of my truck and always have emergency power with me.

 

[Industrial Toys]

A multitude of layers of back-up right down to tea candles!

I have known some very wealthy people that couldn't lay their hands on a working flashlight in an emergency. Leaves me speechless!

If you are going to have a hobby or collection, it's nice if it can provide some benefit. I guess you could always burn your baseball card collection to stay warm.

 

[oosik]

I have one 3Kw generator that I use to power hand tools when I'm out and about on the property. Been here 37 years and never even once have I needed a generator because of loss of power. We have a darn fine co-op electric provider. They KNOW the meaning of maintenance.

 

[Olympus]

The 1,000 watt unit is close to useless for much of anything in service as a home backup system. You'll run a few lights and nothing more. A 2,000 watt unit isn't much better. As to camping and an electric heater, the total electric ones consume 1,500 watts. Yesterday, I did purchase an electric heater that did have a half power setting, but I don't know how common that option is. As you can see, the 1,000 watt generator is pretty limited in use.

Did you even read my post? I’m not looking for a home backup generator at all. If you read, you’ll see I already own a 8000/10,000w Generac for that purpose.

And there are plenty of electric heaters that use less than 1000w.

 

[nybirdman]

Most of the "cheap" throw away type generators aren't worth the money;burn a lot of gas and are noisy.
Spend more and have an enjoyable quiet/frugal source of temporary power;I.E. Honda or Yamaha.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Having said that. During a six day outage on account of ICE, a neighbor showed up a day in, madder than heck, because a small part on his Brand New Honda generator had broken, rendering the thing pretty much useless. It's why I preach redundancy.

 

[Jstpssng]

Having said that. During a six day outage on account of ICE, a neighbor showed up a day in, madder than heck, because a small part on his Brand New Honda generator had broken, rendering the thing pretty much useless. It's why I preach redundancy.

Backup is always good, yet it's easy to get complacent. I have two older units, both of which came from my father; but my power has gone out just once since I built here in 2003 so they are in a shed and would take some adjusting to get them set up.

My mother lost her power last December for the first time in several years. A friend of my late father's came down and hooked up the generator and things were going fine... for about a day until the engine failed. It hadn't been run since my father started getting sick, and the low oil shutoff didn't kick in. I was about to make the 200 mile trip down with one of mine but the family friend was able to be on site when HD got a new shipment of generators in, and bought her a new unit.

 

[Doofy]

I am partial to the Honda 2000 watt inverter generator. Has never failed to start or function in the 10 years I've owned it. This is the Perfect size and quietness for me. It will run my Toyo stoves and anything else with sensitive electronics. I can run the fridge, freezers and even the well pump(on a rotating basis). This is stored in my heated garage and is always warm and ready to go.